Today's Take: We can improve any time we want to

Jan. 1, 2014

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Written by

Press-Gazette Media Community News Editor

This time of year — Wednesday in particular — is marked with extremes.

“I’m going to work less.” “I’m going to work out more.” “I’m going to drink less alcohol.” “I’m going to quit smoking.” “I’m going to drink more water.”

You know — resolutions.

And you probably also know this: Resolutions, especially those kind of major life changes like “I’m going to quit smoking,” or “I’m going to lose 20 pounds,” just don’t stick around for the entirety of the year.

I’ve done the quitting smoking and losing weight resolutions ... and they didn’t work. That’s because, for me, I was trying to base those changes on the calendar instead of basing them on myself — and what I was ready to handle.

After several years of saying that I was smoking “my last cigarette” on New Year’s Eve, I finally quit in April 2007. It was April, not January and not some dramatic first of anything. For whatever reason, it was my time and I felt prepared to take on the difficulties that come with cutting off an addiction. And it was hard. But I came out the other end without a cigarette in one hand and a lighter in the other.

In 2013, I ran at least 100 miles each month for a grand total of 1,258.5 miles (believe me, that 0.5 is important).

I started running at the end of 2008. I don't remember the exact date, but I do remember getting going when I signed up for my first ever half marathon in Green Bay before 2009 started to avoid the price increase that came with the new year.

But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing between starting running and getting to consistent 100-mile months. I’ve battled plantar fasciitis, which required not one but two cortisone shots over several months in 2012. I also just ‘didn’t want to’ many, many times. But I did — and didn’t let obstacles set by nature or even myself stop me. They may have slowed me, watered down my usual ‘need to do it’ nature or made me second-guess my progress.

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But I just kept going.

And that’s the most important thing about making change — you do things differently one day and just keep doing them that way. There will be days when the arctic air blowing outside the house is too much to get you to leave your warm and snuggly bed. And there will be times when that burger and fries are just too good to pass up. But there’s always the next day, the next meal or just the next opportunity to do things differently. To feel better.

For a long, long time I couldn’t see beyond the “mistakes” I made, whether it was too many beers, too many buffalo wings, too many cigarettes. My thinking was “Well, it’s Wednesday and I’ve blown my calorie limit for the week so I’ll just eat like crap for the rest of the week.” And I did. Over time, that mentality turned into “Well, I really screwed up this year. I’m really going to get my act together next year.”

But it doesn’t have to be that way. We don’t have to be that way.

We can improve or just change any time we damn well want to. We just have to want to.

Have a burger and fries for lunch? How about a salad with grilled chicken for dinner? Didn’t work out on Friday? Go to the gym and then take an extra long walk on Saturday. Went four hours without a cigarette before caving to the craving? Push for five, then six and then maybe a whole eight hours.

That’s the beauty of this life. We can make it what we want. We really do have the power.